Porn Addiction Withdrawal

What are Common Symptoms for Porn Addiction Recovery?

What does pornography have in common with cocaine and heroin? More than you think! The recovery process for a porn addict can include significant withdrawal symptoms, similar to what we would expect from synthetic drugs. But why is that the case? And how can we manage withdrawal symptoms?

The answer to why is found in the nature of porn addiction. Though I’ve seen many argue that pornography does not classify as an addiction, my personal experience, conversations with hundreds of young men, the hundreds of thousands of men and women who have joined movements like “No Fap”, and significant brain research would indicate otherwise.

What is withdrawal? A quick google search gives us the following definition: “Physical and mental symptoms that occur after stopping or reducing intake of a drug.” Your body will have a reaction to no longer experiencing the chemical high of the drug. What symptoms might we expect?

Michael Cusick, in his book “Surfing for God” (https://amzn.to/2MM4lJ9) gives us an overview of what porn addiction withdrawal may look like. “During the first two weeks of abstinence, you may suffer intense withdrawal symptoms that may come and go. These can include fatigue, depression, difficulty concentrating, tension, nervousness, sleeplessness, headaches, increase (or decrease) in sexual arousal, increased appetite for food, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, and itchy skin. In more extreme cases withdrawal symptoms may include shakes, nausea, and panic or anxiety. Preparing for this empowers you, reminding you that this stage won’t last. In most situations symptoms last roughly two weeks.”

How is that possible? For our brains, the chemical cocktail of porn dependency is acting similar to drug addiction. Neuroscientist Dr. William Struthers in his book “Wired for Intimacy, how pornography hijacks the male brain” (https://amzn.to/3cPVvnw) explains the brain science:

“These findings suggest that human ejaculation…correlates with the euphoric, orgasmic states that are seen in heroin and cocaine use. Because of this activity, many have referred to people being addicted to sex. The orbitofrontal cortex is our emotional modulatory system. This is our decision-making system. To be addicted to something is to release dopamine, which causes you to want it and to make the decision to pursue it. That’s our addiction pathway.”

The addiction pathway describes why the recovery process is so difficult. If it’s not an addiction, you would assume men and women with unwanted porn use could just stop cold turkey. This is rarely the case. For most of us who undergo the recovery process, we can expect 6-9 months of a daily battle, with a few years of ongoing recovery. For myself, the timeline was somewhere between 3-5 years before I felt significant freedom. The good news is that there are many more resources available today for recovery, however access to pornography is also much more prevalent.

So, what should we do? Understand what you are getting into if you dabble with pornography. You are creating an addiction pathway in your brain which can create a dependency. As tolerance grows, you may find yourself viewing more pornography and more intense types of pornography. And it is especially important to keep explicit content away from children, as their malleable brains are even more likely to grow dependent to porn.

If you are already addicted, create a plan to recover. Cut off all access to porn and plan a 6 month detox period. Find three to five friends who will walk with you daily and find a weekly recovery group in a local church or other setting where you can have peers who will hold you accountable. Use software like Covenant Eyes (https://covenanteyes.sjv.io/MqkkM) to help you stay away from unwanted online content.

Ultimately, you need to find a bigger why. What’s better than pornography? What’s the purpose for why you are here? (What is my purpose: https://youtu.be/9sDbFPZzOZo).